While the National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s decision to impose a fine of Rs5,000 on every instance of burning material in the open is expected to have a huge impact on the farmers (who normally burn agricultural waste after the harvest season), the opinion among the farmers is divided. While some believe that in such a scenario, only one crop would be possible to cultivate in the whole year, others believe that burning of agricultural waste is already reduced to an insignificant amount even before the ban because of advanced farming practices.
However, if the ban includes burning of agricultural waste in chulhas that people use in villages, farmers believe that there would be more Gajendras committing suicide in many villages in the near future.
Krishan Kumar, a farmer from Dhulsiras gaon in Najafgarh, who had just set fire to his 1.5 acre field, told The Pioneer that if a ban on burning crop residue is implemented with fine of Rs5,000, farmers will be left with no choice but to grow only one crop in the whole year.
“I had to set fire to the field because the next crop needs to be sown in a week. If I don’t do that, either I will have to wait for a few months to sow the next crop or to plough the field at least five times, which is very expensive. But having burned all the residues, now I can do it in a week and by ploughing it just once,” he said.
Azad Singh, a farmer from the Jharoda Kalan village, however, feels that the ban won’t affect Delhi’s farmers much. He says, “Farmers of Delhi mostly grow wheat, mustard and vegetables. Residues of all such products easily mix with the soil and decompose making the soil more fertile. There’s no need to burn them at all. However, decomposition of rice residues takes time. And after the harvesting season of rice, the land needs to be cultivated very quickly. As there’s a lack of time for the residue to decompose, the farmers often set fire to residues on the field. Those who grow rice may be affected by this decision.”
Ramesh Kumar, a farmer from Jharoda Kalan village in Najafgarh, agrees with Azad but adds that if the ban extends to all kinds of fires including chulhas, then that would be a disaster for the farming community. He says that while every household in the village uses chulhas that use wood or cow-dung cakes for fuel, a ban on the same would hit their day-to-day life in the worst possible manner.
“But how would they implement the banIJ Who would complain when the whole village is doing it,” he asks, adding that before imposing a ban on the same, the Government should first make arrangements for cheap fuel in the rural areas. “You can’t just ban using chulhas for cooking and at the same time raise the price for lPG cylinders to over Rs1,200,” says Ramesh.
Most farmers are of the opinion that as far as burning of crop residues is concerned, there is no way a farmer benefits from it. The farmers do it because it’s a convenient way to get rid of the waste, though it harms the soil by killing the helpful microbes in it.
“If we can do with one bag of manure per acre, after burning the waste on the land, we would need three bags for the same field. Some farmers do it because it is a convenient and a quick way to get rid of it,” says Ramesh Singh.
Samay Singh, another farmer hailing from Jhuljhuli village, adds that many farmers already have a lot of incentives not to burn the crop residues on the fields, and if the ban is imposed, it would deter them further.
“Presently, the waste from the wheat can be converted into hay which can be fed to the animals. Many farmers get paid around Rs1,300 per acre for the same. The buyer himself comes and collects all the residues, converts it to hay and takes it away. For rice residues, the price can go upto Rs3,000 per acre as it can be used for packaging of all kinds of things including glass articles, fruits etc. So by not burning the waste, he can earn some money, and by burning, he will have to pay a fine. Why would a farmer want to burn it thenIJ” he asks.
The farmers agree that if there’s any alternative available for them to get rid of the waste, they themselves won’t want to burn it. “Instead of slapping a fine on a poor farmer, if the officials just politely inform him about it and arranges for an alternative, no farmer would want to burn the residue on his farm. Very few farmers do it anyway in today’s date,” said Rajesh Birman, a far-mer from Kharkhari village.
